1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of software integrated development environments (IDEs) and, more particularly, to using uniform resource locators (URLs) to provide navigation-independent access to elements of a software IDE.
2. Description of the Related Art
A software integrated development environment (IDE) is a powerful tool used by software developers when creating software applications. An IDE provides a developer with a multitude of timing saving features in a centralized location. For example, a typical IDE can include debugging functions, automated code generation, code element wizards, visual and/or color-coded user-friendly interfaces, and such. Thus, the use of an IDE represents increased efficiency and productivity.
However, as software applications and programming languages become more complex, so do IDEs. More features are required to accommodate new models, new objects, and new functions. This increase in features can make it more difficult for a developer to find a desired feature or existing element of the IDE. For example, an increase in features can result in the nesting or restructuring of menu items.
Additionally, a developer must remember the exact steps for accessing the desired element. With many features of the IDE used during development, a developer can spend more time searching for a feature instead of using the feature. This further hinders the ability for developers to effectively communicate the location of features to other members of their development team. Further, the elements of a conventional software IDEs are not searchable. Search functions are typically only available for topics contained in a “Help” menu.
What is needed is a solution that allows the elements of an IDE to be structured in such a way that they are searchable and accessible independent of menu navigation. That is, the solution would apply a Web-based paradigm to the elements of the IDE by labeling each element with a uniform resource locator (URL). Ideally, such a solution would leverage the capabilities of a Web-based search engine as well as the functions typically associated with URLs.